Chapter 806 - 11th Floor
Once back on the 11th floor, I find myself inside a cave that isn't particularly deep. It is wide, however, and offers an open view of the scorching dunes outside. There is no greenery at all, and rock formations are rare. Otherwise, it is just sand as far as I can see, with the air wavering over the horizon because of the heat. I have a suspicion that spending just a few seconds out there would have melted pre-tutorial me.
The star of this system appears to be either two or three times the size of Earth's sun, or perhaps we are just that much closer. The light itself is harsh, almost white. Interestingly, I don't think this planet is rotating at all. Min-Jae said it is likely tidally locked, similar to how Earth’s moon is.
I take in that view for a while longer before taking over Izzy’s effort to absorb some of the heat inside the cave to make the temperature a bit less harsh.
“Did you bring something to drink?” Sophie stops by my side.
“Just a little bit,” I say as I pull a few bottles of water out of my bag. Between them, there is also a bottle of green liquid with yellow sparks that I bought for one shard. I stare at that bottle for a bit, thoughts swirling in my mind, before handing it directly to Sophie. “Please make sure everyone takes a sip or two. Especially Izzy and Dennis.”
She seems to notice the tone of my voice and nods. “You don’t have that item you used to have that could store liquids?”
“I took it apart long ago. I thought it had some spatial compression component and tried to learn from it.”
“I see,” she says. “I don’t remember the last time I felt so thirsty, and even in this heat, I shouldn't. So maybe it’s this floor's setting or just the effect of the environment. There are even some side quests that reward water, so that confirms it’s a big part of it.”
“It seems so,” I agree. “You should use a one day Beyond Stay token and bring some resources back. I will stay here and scout the area a little.”
Sophie nods and pulls me by my arm slightly to the side, lowering her voice even as she sets a field that prevents anyone from listening in. “Nat, I really don’t want to enter Dennis’ mind. I’m too scared I would mess with whatever Aaron did when he moved there. I’m also terrified of what a powerful disrupting pulse could do to what remains. Such an attack could easily consider it an array or something to disrupt. Their [Connection] is a weird skill, and them being twins always did even weirder things with it, so I’m not exactly sure how it would react.”
“I think that all you said makes sense, so let’s not hurry and be very careful,” I nod.
She covers her face with her palms and rubs them over it, sighing. “Izzy is a mess. Tess is holding strong, but her arm won’t be restored anytime soon, even with Lily’s abilities, and we have to keep an eye on Noodle. Then… Biscuit… are you okay?”
“There is no need to worry about me.”
After looking up at me, she says in a quieter voice, “I guess there is not. I already sent Blackie out there to scan the area, and I will leave him here even as I go to Beyond. He will listen to any of you, so take advantage of that if needed.”
“Sure.”
After that, Sophie returns to the group, and I, after distributing the rest of the food and water I was able to get from Ruby, head toward the exit of the cave. Before leaving, I set up an array to help regulate the temperature. I leave behind an orb made of a tiny bit of mana that is not meant to power it, instead, in the middle of it, a drop of my blood floats, something I have been experimenting with to see how well it works as a replacement for a mana battery.
“You are coming with me,” I say, stopping to address Min-Jae, who sits there looking lost.
I don’t even wait for his answer and hear him scramble to his feet as I exit the cave. The temperature immediately increases, and the air alone feels hotter than some fire skills used against me. To deal with it, I expand my reach over myself and Min-Jae, continuously absorbing heat which I then channel and turn into mana to feed the crown floating over my head.
There is a feeling of something missing, so I stop and try to remember what it might be, only to realize that the missing part is my connection to Biscuit. It is now quiet, empty.
I begin to walk again, and Min-Jae speeds up to join my side. As we walk, we don't hurry at all. I keep within sight of the cave, where I have multiple Ley Lines and marks placed.
Walking over a few dunes under the scorching heat, we reach Blackie. Sophie’s bond notices us and explodes into a run that comes to an abrupt stop some distance away. Every time the wind blows or grains of sand hit him, pulses of kinetic energy are sent into the area from his body. Unlike when we were in the city or on the flying ship, he doesn't wear the cloak to help him with that, but so far, there is little reason to.
As we stand there, I sit down in the hot sand. I even stop absorbing the heat fully, allowing the dry temperature to attack my body. As Min-Jae sits down next to me, I notice his glance and do the same for him, causing us both to feel the burn.
Blackie, seeing us sit, follows suit, though more energetically. His movement causes a larger explosion of kinetic energy, which makes more sand blast into the air and rain down, triggering even more tiny explosions.
Watching it all happen, I don’t reach out to stop it. Instead, I observe it until Min-Jae uses his [Telekinesis] to make every grain of sand around Blackie halt in mid-air.
While Blackie watches the floating grains with what feels like fascination, poking them with the tip of his finger, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“I think so. I mean, I'm sad and shocked, but as long as there is hope, I have something to hold on to. If the worst were to happen, I will be devastated at that point anyway, so there is no point in spiraling now," he says. "At least that's what I try to do. And you?"
“Similar.”
Min-Jae pulls his knees to his chest. “I think for a while I even wished it was me it happened to, but I know how stupid that is. Now, at the same time, I’m angry at Aaron, and I also admire him for what he’s done.”
“It is a bit cool of him, but as you said, I want to punch him too.”
“I didn’t say anything about punching.”
“Punch him like ten times,” I sigh and lie back into the sand, not minding the grains washing over my face. “One of my rewards for the last floor had an option to select an item reward. A Low Pristine. Don’t you think it’s stupid how incredible the rewards we got are, yet they feel so useless at the same time?”
“I know exactly what you mean,” he says.
“Yeah, I thought you would. I will buy an item for Dennis, something to protect his mind against mana disruption or mental attacks.”
“Did Sophie talk to you about it?”
“She did, but it was something I thought of on my own. Her coming to me with the exact same thought without me mentioning it tells me that the worry is very likely reasonable.”
"Yeah," Min-Jae says, standing up. His mana flickers around him as he creates a barrier against the heat. "I will head back. If anything happens, I will pull on one of your Ley Lines."
"Yup, see you later," I say, turning to Blackie. "You go back as well. I’m going to scout the area a bit."
As Min-Jae leaves, Blackie hurriedly rises to his feet and runs after him. I follow them with my eyes for a while before turning away. Then, I open my notifications and go through them one after another, something I had only glanced at once we completed the 10th floor.
[Redistribution - lvl 77 > Redistribution - lvl 78]
[Manifestation - lvl 43 > Manifestation - lvl 44]
[Manifestation - lvl 44 > Manifestation - lvl 45]
[Current - lvl 47 > Current - lvl 48]
[Mana Manipulation - lvl 79 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 80]
[You have defeated Wyvern Hatchling - lvl 439]
[Lvl 402 > Lvl 403]
[Lvl 403 > Lvl 404]
[Lvl 404 > Lvl 405]
[Lvl 405 > Lvl 406]
[Lvl 406 > Lvl 407]
Congratulations! You have cleared the 10th floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial.
Welcome to the 11th floor: Xyphos.
The objective of the cleared 10th Floor quest has been altered, and the rewards have been improved in line with the newly calculated difficulty.
You have acquired:
Trait strengthening token (up to 2nd stage)
Three active skills combination token
Low Pristine passive skill
Low Pristine item
I scroll past all of that and check the objective of this floor.
Floor Quest:
Xyphos is best known for its Labyrinth, an ancient structure built long ago by unknown hands for purposes that remain a mystery. The planet is also one of the few places in the known systems where Talnium can be harvested, a rare and highly coveted resource.
Three major corporations, along with numerous independent organizations, are constantly clashing for control of its harvest. Some attempt to establish legitimate mining operations, while others rely on smuggling networks and covert strikes to secure their share.
Your objective is to obtain half a packet of Talnium and ensure it is successfully transported off Xyphos.
Rewards:
???
Passive skill combination token
Falling into deep thought, I muse over the objective, this time more deeply than before, and as thoroughly as the information I currently have allows.
After that, I close the window and open a new one as I use one of my rewards.
You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick three skills from the following list to combine.
Warning! Combining three skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill.
Warning! A combination of incompatible skills may result in a worse skill.
Warning! After combining the skills, it will become extremely difficult to acquire the skills used in the combination.
Please select the main skill of the combination and two supportive skills.
List of available skills to combine:
Perception - Lvl 77
Mana Manipulation - Lvl 80
Ley Line - Lvl 76
Current - Lvl 48
Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Ley Line], [Mana Manipulation], and [Current]! A new skill has been created.
You have acquired [Weave]
[Weave - lvl 0 > Weave - lvl 9]
Still sitting in the sand, I reach out my hand with my palm up. Just as the sand moves around me, a few particles made of mana swirl over it.
Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill!
[Mana Manipulation]
[Mana Manipulation - Level 0 > Mana Manipulation - Level 78]
Not enough.
These particles begin to move faster as more of them appear. Between them pale blue, white, and golden ones show as well, moving erratically like a poked beehive. I push further until there are more and more of them.
[Mana Manipulation - Level 78 > Mana Manipulation - Level 79]
Under my Preeminence Eyes, they all halt and stay still in the air as I remember the end of the last floor, the way the hatchling moved its mana, and the way I mimicked and adapted to it faster than it could. My blood feels like it burns in my hand, and I begin to actively pull ambient mana from the air, imprinting my will upon it.
Without my passives, without my domain or black mana, that mana still obeys my will and gathers over the palm of my hand.
[Mana Manipulation - Level 79 > Mana Manipulation - Level 80]
Better.
***
Author Note: With Book 10 completed for T3 I will, as I mentioned before, be going on a 2-week break to get some rest and plan things out! If any of you subbed and got screwed by the timing, just send me a message - I will refund you, no problem!
Also, during the break, I plan to write the side story I promised for the Biscuit plush campaign.
If you bought one, you can join the Discord: https://discord.com/invite/s5ARCv7kfG
It might take a bit, but there will be a special role for plush owners and there might be some voting on the side story. I'm not sure yet, it is difficult to do properly with some buyers being from Patreon and others from RR or SH. But I'm confident the side story will be fun even if I just pick the idea I like, so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Thank you all for your support and for reading through 10 books already - just how crazy this is.
Anyway, see you in two weeks with the usual schedule!
Comments (94)
I got so upset when Biscuit disappeared that I had to take a few weeks off reading it. I cried dammit but I know nothing is gonna happen to Biscuit. Cerim wouldn't do that to us, right?
God dayum. Current was a higher tier skill that came from accumulation and mana manipulation. Then Ley line was also a higher tier skill and lv 76. Add a champion tier, lv 80 mana manipulation and it only gets a lv 9 skill as a result? This means Weave is one of those Turbo-Skills like Manifestation. A skill that wmight come in clutch with their shared, accelerated mental thing they're building. And he really needs to do something about Perception. Because Tacita will cheese floor 10 and will likely improve her stealth to honestly comedic levels. I'm thinking she'll end up just straight up stealing the damn egg. And now he can also improve his blood again. I wonder if he can scam more rewards out of Pof. Douchebag if he has Ruby call him. They can gree to let him witness the trait improving and this new, more proactive Ruby might actually provide enough protection to let Nat get away with it without getting kidnapped. I'm thinking he can either get a new passive that synergises with his mental passive or with his epic unique and then combine them for a new pristine unique. Then he's also getting enough credits that he might afford another pristine passive before his class change at lv 450. I hope that he gets either a pristine unique class or the rarity above. His achievements are getting stupid at this point. he might also solo-kill a champion at like lv 448 just to make sure. He NEEDS to abuse the tutorial and exit it as above champion-tier if he wants a chance at beating not!Christoph.
Mana Manipulation is now finally on par with that of a noble lady's pet. It's been a long time coming. I'm so proud of Nat.
Daaaaaamn! Shorty popped a bottle neck, just like THAT?! -Tiny Tina
Did he get weave before on the school floor that repeated itself?
No he never got weave. One of the skills he got on the 8th floor using the combination token with Ley Line as the base was [Ur Line]. You might also be confusing it with his class [Mana Weaver]. He also had [Knitting] but not [Weave]
I know it’s framed as a sort of running gag that Nat always gets mana manipulation back, but who else would be able to constantly combine mana manipulation at multiple stages of a skill? The system even says it is “extremely difficult.” I can’t help but think that it definitely plays a part in the synergy of his skills. [Tether] -> [Ley Line] -> [Weave] isn’t the only skills he used Mana Manipulation to combine. At this point almost half his skills were made using Mana Manipulation.
I was going to suggest he could [Manifestation] a faster [Current] [Perception] so achieve something similar to Sophie's mental chamber but I guess that's not gonna happen. I'm super excited about him hitting 80 in mana manipulation though! Every cool fight we've seen with Champions and Absolutes always shows them controlling their environment like it's second nature. Nat's finally entering that level!
Creampuff reigns supreme
Didn't he have weave before
I think it was knitting
Goddamnit I had let the chapters build up so I could read it in bulk and now I’ve caught up and am sad again boooooo too good Cerim tooo good
Im assuming the labyrinth is the same from the tournament, but super hell mode
I highly doubt it. As it wouldnt rly make any sense for it to be the same. My guess is its some kind of structure build by a pre system civilization. The labyrinth in the tournament was more like a bunch of large rooms where to contestants where pitted against their copies with some traps in between.
Does everyone think Cerim just shits genius chapters everyday or is he really like 8 books ahead of us?
this story has kept a high quality for a long time now. Cerim is on fire
Suggested edits - I guess there is not. I already sent Blackie out there to scan the area, and I will leave him here even as I go to Beyond - when I go to Beyond.
What a crazy concept that he outpaced the wyvern’s instincts.
That's who humans are they will strive in the absurd situations that's what nat is about . I think pride is the same too?
I remember nat naturally combined skills to create current. Which skills was it (before the nerf/small retcons on next day's chapter). And which skills was it after? ==== Does weave countains the same skills as current? (Pre nerf). Current combination was changed because it was judged too op. So, weave might be something else. Also, I feel like nat should be able to get [Ley Line] and [Current] again. Current would likely take effort, but [Ley Line] should be natural to him by now.
I don’t know if you can have 2 skills that completely overlap each other. Like you can have [mana manipulation] and [current] because each has certain aspects the other doesn’t. But you probably couldn’t have both [manipulation] and [mana manipulation] at the same time since one can already do everything the other can. So yeah, it might be strictly impossible to obtain one or both of those skills currently.
Can we get some Biscuit Side Stories as we go? Seems like it will be some time until Nat & the Gang meet up with him again.
I like the suspense more at the moment i would find it more fitting if we get like a short paragraph at the end of the books. Like the earlier Earth POV chapters.
“there is also a bottle of green liquid with yellow sparks that I bought for one shard”. Wait what ? wasn't it 10 Million shards ? :D
You can make a good deal when you make drunk your seller. It is a common knowledge. 😉😂
My prediction of Weave is that it'll allow Nat to create surfaces for spatial manipulation. It fits with the trend so far. Tether: 0 dimensional point. Allows him to place markers and only teleport to those. Ley Line: 1 dimensional line. Let's him attach it to another point and teleport to anywhere along the line. Plus, since it's not just a point he can use it to support structures like manatex. Weave: 2d surface. I guess if he puts it over an area, he'll be able to teleport anywhere on the surface. Plus, since it's 2d he'll be able to create surfaces of various shapes (spheres, rings, etc). Maybe his mental practice will come handy? He could make a mobius strip just using a surface, albeit in a 3d space.
I'm looking at it a slightly differently: Tether allows manipulation of objects in space mostly, ley line yes it's a 1 dimensional line but manatex is essentially mana manipulation "in" space. Weave I wonder if it enables interaction between other things, like weaving thermal/kinetic energy into his constructs intrinsically instead of them being just mana constructs that manipulate things, like the difference between a gear and an engine. And if he gets it high enough maybe that's when he can actively use it to weave skills, maybe even other people's skills into greater workings. Mostly I'm just contrasting this with how Liss probably has Control: weave sounds similar but is way more about blending and stuff
Thank you!
i really wonder about the rarity of the active skills. isnt there a tutorial reward for that like for the passive skills? at the beginning with the skill upgrade tokens got the rarity of active skills higher? why doesnt or cant/dont he increase the rarity of Mana Manipulation even aroud lv 80?
There is nothing better than mana manipulation. In the beginning he tried upgrading his Focus skill, but it made in weaker in exchange for splitting his focus in two. That is something he can learn on his own, without needing to upgrade and weaken the skill. And if we are talking about rarity, the less words the better the skill. And technically, fusing the skill into others is upgrading the skill, specialising it in different directions. For example, Ley Line is something he could have done with a higher level of Mana Manipulation, but the Skill made it easier for him. And gaining the Skill back is a nobrainer, since the skill can be fused again and again, raising the compatibility between the skills and smothing the fusion process.
I suppose that in the future Nat will combine Weave, Mana Manipulation and a new active skill into just one active skill. I wonder what the name of the final active skill will be. Maybe something like Magician. 🤔 Then probably he will do the same with his passive skills. At the end there will be just one powerful passive skill. Later, he will probably combine active skill with passive skill, if of course possible. And then everything will be combined with his traits making him a new, unique being in the System. I wonder if my line of thinking is correct. 🤔
More than anything I want Nat to create the Skill “Mana” we’ve seen skills like Weapon and Sword, and while I concede that a skill with the same name as a fundamental stat seems unlikely, it’s also Nat so therefore possible.
One definition for weave is make a complex story or pattern from a number of interconnected elements. I’m excited to see what Nat does with the skill
Every time I get a new chapter it’s a dopamine boost. *twitches and scratches my neck like Dave Chappell* you uh… got any more of these chapters?…
And then there being no more chapters to read is like going into withdrawals
Notably there doesn’t seem to be a grade limit for this floor’s completion rewards. Meaning he could merge upper pristine?!?! Passives. Granted he’d have to get them first, and I think it was mentioned that even mid pristine are like 50mil… Nat about to go insane mode again.
he already used it to merge 3 active skills
First thing I would like to say is that nat new skill is the same names as his class. “Congratulations! You have chosen the Primary class - Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). In the future, you may be able to upgrade your class or exchange it for a new one, befitting your actions at that point within the tutorial.” Secondly, Talnuim is “Talinum”which is callled flameflower…. Which is cool because there are on. Burning planet—/ I saw what you did Cerim.? As usual you name skill and it’s significant it’s off the charts
Ah nice one, I completely forgot about his class due to how rarely it ever gets brought up. It never gets explicitly mentioned and even then is only shown when he views his full status page and those moments aren’t that common. I’d also like to add and point out that: [Tether] -> [Ley Line] -> [Weave]. And [Tether] was one of the skills he got from [Mana Weaver]. So with what you’ve said too, I’m hoping there’ll be some sort of synergy.
Another thingy: What happend to all these champion and absolute (-candidate) challenges, where you can bet stuff? did cerim forget about this? we need some juicy bets!
It’s been mentioned that he sorta abused this and only got lioren because envy hoped he’d die in the process for example. That said I think there’s been some lampshading he or Nyssa will challenge the other before she leaves the tutorial
Looking forward to the low pristine passive
Dose Nat have 2 open active skill slots? I feel like he should try to fill those
Not if he wants new skills with his new class at 450
I think Lily being unable to heal Tess's arm shows just how insignificant Lyraen's lightning is compared to the hatchling Wyvern's, at least in terms of anti-healing effect
Can someone remind me what skills he used to get [Current] again?
Accumulation + Mana Manipulation. Got combined during the 3rd Tournament Arc.
Nat still has a two active skill combination token from finishing the 9th floor. Wonder what that will get used for.
Hey there's that weaving skill ,too bad it wasn't advanced knitting instead.
Bro casually tapping into the weave. #supermagicman
Blackie is like a child discovering the world for the first time, so adorable :D
Nat needs a good minion master session either with Lissandra ( she has a way of beating prospective into him) or his esm
Tftc are their grades for passive skills? Also why do they mostly level during battle? Is it just that they are mostly used during battle?
Surely you meant active skills
The spice, errr... Talnium, is life!
Thank you for the chappie!
So Weave is like an upgraded Urline which is the skill he got for a short time on the 8th with Professor Elian when he used a three skill combination token combining Mana manipulation with Mana domain and ley line. Obviously he's much stronger now also but its interesting that urline started at level 9 too. Weave is like a combination of 4 or 5 skills. Can't wait to see what it can do. I still think he'll be creating ley lines, or will they be Weave lines, maybe they'll be upgraded but appear the same to others. And will he still be able to exercise domain by taking over peoples skills? Seems reasonable that he'd remember essentially how that worked. Grief sucks! I hope he finds Bisquit soon. Or Bisquit finds him. And how weird is it that Lily is having trouble healing Tess? Tftc!
I hope Biscuit is on Earth causing trouble for Adrian.
*sniff* my little Natty... you've come so far from punching goblins on the first floor to imprinting mana *wipes tear* who knows what the future will bring (genocide. It will bring genocide.)
Those rewards are incredibly juicy.
Was this the floor with the sleeping Fragment of the First Star?
Nah that’s the 13th
Ooh, so he already grasped the wyvern's kind of control over ambient mana. That's great, and its blood would definitely benefit Tess more now
Maybe. Nat has an actual blood trait. But if she coukd get aspects of white lighting it might be better for her, yeah. But that seems more unlikely than an evolution of the ichor.
I guess Perception is the last man standing in terms of easy skills to merge. I can see it developing in two directions: to support his eyes or to go broader so he doesn't have a single point of failure. I have lots of guesses but I think [Prism] would go hard. It has that single word punchiness and it's broad. For eye support: Gaze, Witness, Behold, Glimpse. They all sounds pretty same-y and basically it's just variation on seeing. I don't think he'll go that way, since he's particularly weak to sneakiness. For a broader skill: Attunement, Resonance, Communion, Harmony?
Other then maybe another eye upgrade that'll let his eyes see all different kinds of energy, i cant imagine Nat spending a whole skill just to strengthen his eyes when he can't even handle them at full power right now, perception does seem largely useless atm I wonder what will happen with it?
At what level is a skill considered Champion level mastery? Was it 85? And 90/95 for Absolutes?
I actually thought it was 80? This drawing ambient mana seems like a game changer, I imagine Nat is knocking on champion level power right now
Wow Nat got so many rewards. Can't wait to see what he uses the rest of them on. Also curious to see what weave actually does.
So Level 80 MM is a threshold for being able to draw on the ambient mana and control it without any other help. Just pure skill and will. NICE! That also means Nat slowly begins to reach the levels of a weak champion, right?
Last chapter the rulers indicated the baby wyvern would approach champion class by the end of the countdown. Nat kept it contained the entire time and then killed it, which is harder than just killing it. So I think it’s safe to say he is brushing closer to champion level, though not there yet
Thanks for the chapter
Nat is a monster. These rewards are mediocre to me.
Hard to turn your nose up at a free pristine passive, even if it is low. Ruby said before that he was one of the few to have a pristine passive during the tutorial, and one of the earliest. I wonder how many is the highest recorded
The mana must flow. The Dune vibes are strong in this one, I expect to see one of: sandworm, fake messiah, dodgy cults. The rewards are kinda crazy? If he manages to forcefully evolve blood, he'll get 0 -> 1, then he can use the 2nd stage and 3rd stage all on his blood, which also empowers all of his other traits... what a power boost. Nat finally broke through 80 in MM. Perhaps more importantly, he was able to get there again straight away after the combo. Does it mean he has fully mastered what the skill is able to offer up to level 80? Weave sounds interesting. I'd consider Lay Line to be one of his key abilities but the spatial aspect of it felt pretty basic. I'm hoping weave allows for more intricate space manipulation.
I dont think Nat would survive a 3 times strengthening to his blood like that tbh, his eye strengthing nearly disabled him so he'll have to take it slow (unless he does something stupid and does it anyway(which he will so you're proly right))
Weave, a one simple word skill. Powerful.
Fucking a.
I know biscuit won’t be gone forever, but I’ll miss him nonetheless.
Holy shit we finally grt ambient mana?!
He long since did get ambient support through the effect of a passive, but him learning how to do it on his own is significant.
No longer will Nat be burdened by knitting, weave is all that remains.
Goodbye Current, we hardly knew ye.
Tftc!
Finally lvl 80 !
TFTC! Is Current and Ley Line that much harder for Nat to get again? Or are they just going to be too similar to Weave/Weave is just that much more versatile that both Current and Ley Line have been made redundant?
Ley line is a class skill, so I don't know if he could get that naturally and cjrrent js from multiple fusions already. Mana manipulations is a "base" skill
TFTC. Better!!
Thanks!
I love this novel
Nice, love the mana Manipulation recovery
<3
TFTC!!!
It just posted 🤣